When Anna Krolewski addressed her audience at Macomb’s commencement on May 12, the Most Distinguished Graduate invited everyone to visit her in a few years, at Disney’s Imagineers Studio.

“As Master Yoda says, ‘Do or do not, there is no try,’” the Macomb Media and Communications Arts (MACA) major and unabashed Disney fan told her fellow classmates and their guests. “Life is not a fairy tale. You can’t sit on the sidelines and expect success to come to you. You have to work for it.”

And, work, Krolewski has: scoring a 4.0 in nearly every one of her classes and a nomination for the Most Distinguished Graduate honor, which she won after impressing judges with her determination and enthusiasm. She also works at Hobby Lobby in Sterling Heights and, once upon a time, volunteered with Enchanted Princess Ball, which brings the princess experience to little girls whose families may not be able to take them to Cinderella Castle.

“I painted little girls nails, did glitter tattoos and played the fur characters,” says Krolewski, “and I assisted the princesses back stage.”

But it is in art and design that Krolewski’s own dreams have come true, and she credits Macomb for the happy ending.

“I visited over ten different colleges throughout my senior year, but all told me the same thing – I had to choose one field,” says Krolewski. “It wasn’t till the day before the deadline that I made my final decision.”

It came after meeting with Brian Sauriol, MACA faculty, who assured Krolewski that she could explore her artistic potential in a variety of related areas. She is now on her way to Rochester College, where she intends to earn a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications Arts before applying for her dream job at Disney. She also intends to continue taking classes at Macomb, opting to earn two more associate degrees in Web Design and the just introduced Motion Design.

“I’m excited to add these to my multimedia arsenal, which will help me become more marketable as a multimedia artist,” says Krolewski, who is also in training for her second Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. “As long as I’m doing what I love, I will never work a day in my life.”

As a single mom to four-year-old Kaiden, Akia Huff was looking for a college that would allow her to slowly reenter the college environment after a few-year hiatus while keeping her on track toward becoming a nurse. Fortunately, Macomb was love at first sight.

“After taking a tour, I immediately fell in love with the school,” says Huff, 27 and a graduate of Crockett High School in Detroit. “I noticed that there were a lot of places on campus for students to study as well as hangout between classes. After speaking to an advisor about my career goals, I knew I made the right decision about Macomb.”

Huff also decided to pursue a paid work-study position and begins her second assignment in Student Life and Leadership (SLL) this spring. As a student assistant, she helps plan and coordinate student activities on South Campus, with a flexible schedule that accommodates her classes.

“I love the fact that the school has so many events and activities going on to help get students involved,” says Huff. “And working in SLL is such a blast.”

Huff became interested in nursing after working for three years as a caregiver to developmentally disabled adults and finding that her compassion made her well-suited to the job.

“I loved assisting in the care of each one of my patients,” says Huff. “And because of my love for helping people, I decided I wanted to make a career out of it.”

Huff intends to transfer to Oakland University to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing after she graduates from Macomb. Not wholly unlike one of her role models.

“My mom attended here before transferring to Siena Heights to get her master’s degree,” says Huff, “now I’m following in her footsteps.”

“I had about as much knowledge as someone who threw together a subwoofer in the back of their car,” he said.

So when Doran, an electrical engineering student at Macomb, obtained an internship offer with a local noise control and soundproofing company through the College’s Career Services department, he was initially skeptical that his skills would translate. Instead, the Sterling Heights native has found that “the physics are virtually identical” and is taking advantage of an opportunity to do hands-on work in high-profile settings. Working with Rochester Hills-based Memtech, he recently had a lead role in building a custom acoustic baffle system for one of the units at the M-1 Concourse, a soon-to-be-opened luxury garage and test track in Pontiac.

“It’s pretty neat, especially in an intern position, to be able to handle something like that,” said Doran, who has also worked on sound projects at the Ford River Rouge Complex.

Doran tried on three different majors at a four-year university before “I realized I was wasting all my money,” he said. So he switched to Macomb and not only is paying “a quarter” the cost, “I can definitely confirm that there’s a lot more 1-on-1 interaction,” he said. “It’s a classroom setting, not a room with 80 people.”

Doran will transfer to Oakland University to complete a bachelor’s degree, something he said he’s “much more prepared” to do now after finding his footing at Macomb. And his internship at Memtech has opened up other work possibilities that “I wouldn’t even be able to come close to getting” without the experience he’s able to show from his job.

“If you’d have told me a year and a half ago that I’d have my hands on something like that, I would have laughed,” he said. “I was literally a doorman in Detroit. Now, this project was my first big step. I can look back and say, ‘I did this.’”

The Clinton Township native and 2013 Chippewa Valley graduate started at Macomb, left to obtain his real estate license, then returned when he saw that more education could help him get where he wanted to go. He’s now feeling confident that his counselors at Macomb have helped him find a good path to transfer to Wayne State and pursue a finance degree.

“I definitely think I’m going in the right direction,” he said.

The business program at Macomb has suited Kapfhamer, who has an interest in the stock market and recently attended the College’s student business pitch competition. He said he has especially enjoyed courses in Corporate Responsibility with Patrick Greek and Business Law with Robert Hetchler.

“It’s a privilege to be able to go here,” Kapfhamer said, “and I think it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

Fanciful nose art has been appearing on military aircraft since WWII, with inspiration supplied by such cultural icons as pin-up girls, Disney characters and the Grim Reaper. For one Macomb Media and Communication Arts (MACA) student, however, inspiration for the design she entered into a contest sponsored by Selfridge Air National Guard Base came from a nobler source.

“My father was a soldier in World War II, he’s been gone for some time now. I couldn’t help but feel his presence as I worked,” relates Marianne Pupka. “My husband, who has also passed, was an avid war historian. I think my dad was on one shoulder and Warren on the other. I think they would have been pleased with the outcome.”

Pupka took third in the contest that asked artists to incorporate Selfridge’s 2017 centennial into a design for the nose of two types of military aircraft. Taking first and second for their nose art, respectively, were Rachel Barton and Scott Whiteside. All of the winners received scholarships to Macomb, while the winning design will be painted on the noses of the 127th Wing’s KC-135 Stratotanker, an aerial refueler, and its 107th Fighter Squadron’s A-10 Thunderbolt II, which provides combat air support.

“My interpretation was to create something that honored (Selfridge’s) first hundred years and shows the connection between Selfridge, the community, state and country,” explains Pupka of her design. “My research on Michigan led me to the words ‘I will defend,’ which is the translation of Tuebor on the Michigan state flag.”

Pupka attended art school after high school and enjoyed a full-time career as a graphic artist and production manager before her position became a casualty of industry downsizing. Deciding it was time to take a “deep dive” into interactive media, she started taking MACA classes at Macomb and will earn her associate degree next year.

“I’m enjoying my time at Macomb,” says Pupka, who also works part time as a graphic artist with UPS. “It had been a long time since I’d been in a classroom, but I’m getting a lot out of it.”

Aside from hopes of finding full-time employment after she graduates, two other motivators keep her focused when the going gets tough.

“I have two very creative granddaughters who always want to draw with me,” says Pupka. “Whenever possible, I do my homework while I’m watching them so they can see how important determination is.”

Emily Oehmke graduated from L’Anse Creuse North High School just last May, but already has nearly two years of college completed and is ready to transfer to Michigan State University in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree. It’s been a fast track to success for this former competitive runner and it all started with Early College of Macomb.

“It was the best decision I have ever made,” says Oehmke. “Since I started taking classes here at such a young age (15), I didn’t know what I wanted to go into. I took many entry level business classes and that helped me decide that business was right for me.”

Macomb also helped Oehmke refine her choice to fit the demands of today’s business world, narrowing her focus to global supply chain management.

“It’s a highly sought after degree that Macomb now offers,” says Oehmke, a member of Macomb’s Supply Chain Management Club. “Instead of spending more time at my high school and taking non-core classes, I was here starting to learn the basics of business. That alone got me so motivated and excited for my future.”

But that’s not to say that Oehmke wasn’t active with her high school. She served on student council all four years and was student council and class president her senior year. She was also a member of its student advisory committee, and track and cross country team – until sidelined by an injury. An overachiever in her own right, Oehkme was nevertheless awed by her fellow classmates at Macomb.

“Some of the smartest, most successful individuals attend Macomb. These students work full time and take classes at the same time. They are way more prepared for whatever their future may bring because of that,” says Oehmke. “They are also smart because of all the money they are saving!”

“I’m so proud of myself,” says Mallory Burr, a computer science major, who recently scored two scholarships and a competitive internship with Quicken Loans. “I’m progressing on my future and so excited to continue my education at Wayne State.”

Life has improved dramatically over the last year for Burr, who lost her mother to respiratory disease in March 2016 and thought about dropping out of college because of family finances. Then she decided to apply for a scholarship at Macomb.

“OASIS (Macomb’s Online Automated Scholarship Information System) is right there on the website and it was really easy to work with,” says Burr, recipient of a $1,500 Italian American Delegate Scholarship from Macomb and a transfer scholarship from Wayne State University. “There are much worse ways to spend two hours of your time than filling out a scholarship application.”

And the same goes for the Calculus 1 class she took with Professor Zakaria Musallam.

“He made me work at it until I got it. I’m still not a fan of math, but I appreciate it much more because of him, and have moved on to Calculus 2,” says Burr. “That’s what I really like about Macomb – the small class sizes and that the professors actually get to know you.”

After winning first-place in a high school web design contest, Burr briefly considered it as a career. Then she started at Macomb as a dual-enrolled high school student and discovered computer science.

“It’s sort of like a puzzle that you have to solve,” says Burr. “You peck at it and peck at it and then, when it finally works, it is a very rewarding experience.”

Like attending Macomb?

“Yes,” says Burr, shown here after receiving her scholarship from (left) Frank Coppola, treasurer of the Italian American Delegates, and Macomb President Jim Jacobs. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Macomb and will miss it when I graduate in May. It helped me figure out what it was I wanted to do.”